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2009 U-17 Kicks Off In Nigeria

by Adeola Aderounmu

Nigeria plays Germany in the opening game today Oct 24 2009.

24 Teams in 6 groups will be aiming for the trophy. I wish the organizing committee all the best as they now try to showcase Nigeria to the world in a perspective that is of course far from the reality.

So for 2 or 3 weeks, we will lay aside our national problems and try to please the world. Pray no shame, disaster or calamity brings the competition to an abrupt end.

Security is a big problem in Nigeria esp with the spate of kidnapping and unsolved assasinations latest being the assasination of Bayo Ohu of the Nigerian Guardian Newspaper. I hope that the LOC will be able to protest the footballers and the foreign contigents generally.

Let us hope that the power supply to the stadia will be fully opertional or that the generators will be loaded with diesel. Any form of darkness at the game venues will spread panic and possibly hypertension. I don’t want to imagine a game at 8pm and blackout at the stadium. FIFA will regret this one decision to give the game to a country lacking in social infrastructure, a country where electricity is almost entirely absent.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that this game is hosted by Nigeria. I am just sad that more than 70% of Nigerians live in absolute poverty and are deprived of the basic things of life by an illegal government swimming in corruption and evil desires.